10 Global Social Networks You May Never Have Heard Of

The advent of social networks, over the past decade, have given rise to a huge number of new promotional channels, many of which offer great reward for minimal financial outlay. However, because of the dominance of global giants like Facebook and Twitter, it can sometimes be hard to appreciate the bigger social networking picture.

In today’s landscape of global business and increased social integration, more and more companies are realising the benefits of expanding into overseas markets. Being able to offer your product or service in different languages, to different cultures, is an important part of a successful international marketing strategy.

There are literally thousands of different sites operating in a range of languages all across the globe, and each of them offers a great way to reach potential customers. Factoring social networking into a marketing strategy has become second nature, but social networks are by no means equal wherever you go.

Below is our list of 10 social networks that you may never have come across before. This list gives you an idea of some potential social media marketing platforms available worldwide, and will provide a starting point for exploring what’s out there.

1. QZone

China has a few large, home-grown social networking websites, but number one is QZone. Estimated to have over 600 million registered users and over 150 billion photos uploaded, the website boasts one of the most dedicated user bases in social networking.

2. Badoo

A social networking website with an emphasis on meeting new people. Badoo has grown in popularity across Europe over recent years, and is available in 19 different languages. It now has over 160 million registered users, making it one of the largest social networks in the world.

3. Vkontakte

Vkontakte is the most popular social network in the majority of Russian-speaking countries. Originally modelled very closely on Facebook, the website beats out the American giant on its home soil, and now has over 130 million users. Alongside its three official languages (Russian, English and Ukrainian), there are 65 other user-translated language versions.

4. Mixi

Available exclusively in Japanese, Mixi has been regarded as the top social network in Japan for a number of years, despite stiff competition from competitors both local and international. Averaging monthly user numbers of around 15 million, the website is predicted to remain more popular than Facebook and Twitter in its native country.

5. Netlog

This Belgium-based website is particularly popular amongst young people across Europe, and has over 90 million registered users. The site is focused on being both global and local, with a user base split across 40 different languages using localisation technology which personalises their experience.

6. Sonico

Highly popular in South and Central America, and particularly so in its native Argentina, Sonico is a social networking website for the Latin American audience. Available in Spanish, Portuguese and English, Sonico is hoping that inroads into the European market will help add to its 75 million users.

7. Viadeo

Founded in Paris in 2004, Viadeo offers a social network for business minded people. Operating much like Linkedin, the site boasts over 45 million users to date. Despite only being available in a number of different European languages, Viadeo has millions of users all over the world, and has proven popular in South America.

8. Orkut

An early social network attempt by Google, Orkut was regarded as something of a failure on a global scale. It is however, highly popular in Brazil. Only recently overtaken by Facebook in the total user stakes, around 60% of the site’s 33 million users come from Brazil.

9. Xing

Another competitor to Linkedin, Xing offers a business based social networking experience to an estimated 7 million daily visitors. The site has steadily grown since its inception in 2003, acquiring a number of other social networking websites from around Europe along the way, and offers its services in 16 different languages.

10. Zorpia

Started in Hong Kong in 2003, Zorpia now has over 25 million users. One of the few licensed international sites to operate in mainland China, the site is also highly popular in India, where approximately 40% of users are based. An English language version of the site is also growing in popularity.